Dear Friends and Fellow Children of God,
We have finally arrived HOME after a long period of traveling. Since the end of August Kathy and I have been in numerous parts of Alaska. We have flown to Florida, and driven to St. Louis. We have vacationed in Austria and Germany, and visited Christmas markets and historic sites. We have talked with people in different languages and dialects. Do you know what? People around the world share many of the same problems and troubles!
We heard about troubles and about hopes in Juneau, and in Vienna. We actually ran into a protest in Salzburg concerning climate change, and on our last day of our European tour, we encountered a protest in Berlin over governmental housing policies. We saw people suffering, and celebrating in St. Louis in October, and in Munich in December. (We left a doggy bag with a man we had seen on the streets of Munich.) We saw people worshiping the Lord, and we saw examples of depravity all over. The poster we saw in Wittenberg about an erotic Martin Luther movie just caused me to shake my head in dis-belief. But, we also read online about murder trials at home in Palmer and Wasilla, Alaska.
In other words, a person cannot travel long miles to get away from the troubles of life. The troubles and pain of life follow us all. The reason is that we bring troubles on ourselves. Everyone has turned at times from our Creator and our Lord. We suffer from rebellious hearts and selfish personalities. We have all sinned. That sin is wherever we are, and wherever people are.
The bottom line is that everyone, each one of us needs a Savior from our sin!!! We cannot save ourselves. Thankfully, God has sent His Son, Jesus, to save us from our sin, and also to help us with His love and grace in the midst of the pain and problems of this world.
In preparation for our recent trip
I read a lot of what Martin Luther wrote and said about Christmas. Martin Luther wrote quite a bit concerning
God’s messages from the first chapter of John.
John 1:1-4 relates one version of God’s message about Jesus coming into
our world as Savior. “1 In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the
beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made
that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”
While in Leipzig, in one of our daily devotions on our trip in Germany, we read these words from Martin Luther about how Jesus came as the Light of the World. “
“Doubt nothing. To me there is
no greater consolation given to mankind than this, that Christ became man, a
child, a babe, playing in the lap and at the breasts of his most gracious
mother. Who is there whom this sight
would not comfort? Now is overcome the
power of sin, death, hell, conscience, and guilt, if you come to this gurgling
Babe and believe that he is come, not to judge you, but to save.” A Christmas sermon (“For All the Saints”)
Jesus came to a sinful world as our Light, as our Savior. God’s people can also bring this light into a world needing a Savior. Our call as Christians, as Children of God, is that we not only receive Jesus as light in our lives, but that we share that light of God’s Son with others. So, while our group was in Germany, we sought to share that light. We listened to God’s Word and we prayed for others. We prayed for Dave and Kristine Neslund as their adoption went through for Araya Hope. (Perhaps more on that next week.) We prayed for those who are ill or injured, including John Glaser, Megan Odland Nystrom, Janet Kincaid, my brother David, and others. We asked for the love and mercy and power of Jesus to bring light into these lives. We also prayed for our world and its problems.
What a blessing that into a dark world of sin, of trouble, and pain, God sends His Son, Jesus. If you celebrate the gift of the Christ Child this year, how are YOU sharing that gift?
A Child of God, Seeking to Share with Others the Difference Jesus Makes in our Lives,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Many of you have followed our trip and asked questions. So, here are some more pictures. Since I last wrote we have visited many more places. So, here are pictures of:
·
Eisenach, including
o Wartburg
Castle, where Luther translated the New Testament. https://photos.app.goo.gl/dDp8dnrCWdybVm3BA
o The
Bachhaus – near the birthplace of J.S. Bach, a museum of his work and life, and
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yu5pp2Div8ffqGr77
o A
city tour. https://photos.app.goo.gl/bgoMGneD26bu1ZBo9
·
Leipzig – Where Bach was cantor at St. Thomas
Church and where Luther engaged in the “Leipzig Debates https://photos.app.goo.gl/fTfgD6ZLgqmjPiv47
·
Wittenburg – Where Luther lived and taught, and
where he nailed the 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church, and https://photos.app.goo.gl/YKqRf7mDmPxNYqVZ6
·
Berlin, a city of 3 ½ million people with MUCH
important modern history. https://photos.app.goo.gl/DxHyi1a8hqez3qA87
P.P.S. In case you did not get a chance to look at them, here are pictures previously sent.
·
Vienna - https://photos.app.goo.gl/yhyUmWwBZVTCruL57
·
Salzburg - https://photos.app.goo.gl/q8ATuLhA7NrX1hhW9
·
Munich - https://photos.app.goo.gl/ao6RmmsmKqxXFn3d7
·
Nurnberg - https://photos.app.goo.gl/y9MjoTzbiTmDELGZ9
·
Rothenburg - https://photos.app.goo.gl/S9VcHQdmvrEswYeAA
·
A typical hotel breakfast – Rothenburg - https://photos.app.goo.gl/pjwUrsnK3G8zTt2f7
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ABOUT THIS DEVOTION – I am now retired as senior pastor of St. John Lutheran in Palmer, AK. This devotion was previously titled, “Thoughts from the Pastor.” However, with life’s changes I will now call it, “Journeys Through Life as a Child of God.” I am only sending this message to those who have asked to receive it. If you know someone else who desires to receive this message have them e-mail me at jonrock53@mtaonline.net. You can also view this message on my Facebook page.
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